Twilight Listens to Tool
by FullMetalFurbee
Summary: Ever wonder what would happen if Twilight Sparkle listened to Lateralus? Note: results may vary from pony to pony.


Morning time at the castle. Another day, another lesson. Twilight eagerly awaited Celestia so they could begin learning. (She was an hour early, as she was every day.) What profound knowledge would the princess of sun pass on to her this time? She genuinely hoped it was something more feasible than abstract. Higher order mathematics and anatomy caused her to groan with tedium, and quite frankly the subjects seemed useless. Sure she could solve parabolas, but what good could a princess conceive with that?

"Ah Twilight. Punctual as always, I see." chimed Princess Celestia upon arrival. She beamed and took a seat next to the purple mare.

"What will the area of study be today, princess? Twilight asked.

"Today is going to be a bit different. Instead of teaching you the lesson, I'm going to let you experience it yourself."  
"Huh? I don't quite follow."

"Today's lesson lies under the theme of metaphysical awareness expansion. In a nutshell, you're going to combine your mind, body, and spiritual psyche. When you achieve this, you'll realize just how truly connected to the world and everypony else we are. You'll see not just as an individual, but as a collective. Think of it as... prying open your third eye."

Twilight was lost. It was evident from the look utter befuddlement on her face. Celestia may as well have been speaking in tongues.

"I don't understand at all..."

The ruler chuckled and handed Twilight a small square object. "All will become clear soon enough. The only thing I want you to do is listen to this. It's called a compact disc, or 'CD' for short."

The purple mare looked at the thing in her hoof. The font on it was unlike anything she'd ever seen. "Tool?"

Celestia nodded.

"What kind of tool is this? And what's a 'la-te-ra-lus?' Is this from another country? It doesn't make any sense."

Celestia couldn't help but giggle. "It has music stored on it. Here, I'll show you how to open it." She slid off the black topmost layer, revealing another picture underneath. Twilight made a face of disgust.

"What in Equestria is that? It doesn't have any skin!"

"That's a human," explained the white alicorn. "We won't get to them until much, _much_ later. To make a long story short, they created this. Their music is contained within this CD. They do have skin by the way, just not on this album cover."

Twilight gave another look. Humans sure were grotesque. What a misshapen body. She couldn't quite appreciate the art style either. There were lots of eyes everywhere and several of them were on fire. Multiple fractal designs encircled the human, and there was some sort of spiral pillar branching up from its midsection.

"Can I be honest here, Princess?"

"Of course, my little pony."

"I'm pretty skeptical that this...CD...is going to do anything. Let alone teach me about metaphysical spirituality."

Celestia only smiled wider. "That is _exactly_ why I want you to listen to it."

Twilight sighed. If the Princess said so... "But, how do I use it anyway?"

"Oh, here. You just open up the side here." Celestia popped open the case. "This flat disc here is the CD itself. You put it into a special player that can recognize this type of storage device."

"I don't have one of those."

"I know. I'm going to let you borrow one. Now, all you have to do to start the music is plug the player in, put the disc in the player, shut the lid, and hit the button with a triangle pointing right. That's 'play.' Make sure your volume is adequate as well. A proper listening environment is critical for receiving the full impact of the music."

"Alright. I guess I got it." said Twilight, vigilant in her skepticism.

Celestia told her to wait while she retrieved the headphones and CD player. When she returned, the alicorn-in-training couldn't help but gawk at the enormity of the object her ruler levitated beside her. It was a huge black box, with two circles on the sides of the front and a vast assortment of little buttons and knobs.

"This is the CD player. Commonly referred to as a 'boombox.'" Celestia told her. "Remember how to operate it?"

"Yes. Button with the triangle to the right."

"Good. Here's a pair of decent headphones as well." She produced a plastic semicircle with cupped padded ends and handed it to Twilight. "Please be careful with those. They're worth more money than they should be."

"Okay Princess. Is that everything?"

"Almost. It isn't necessary, but I recommend listening to the music in solitude. It will have a maximal effect that way."

"Alright. If that's everything then I suppose I'll be leaving now."

Celestia grinned and waved goodbye. "Trust me, it'll be an unforgettable experience!"

Twilight took control of the levitating boombox and made for the doors. She rolled her eyes. Surely this must be a prank. Celestia _was_ sometimes known to pull complex gags, after all. What an irksome "lesson."

All up and down Canterlot and all throughout Ponyville, citizens stood on the sideline puzzled and amused at the alicorn's mystery object. She ignored their burning stares and trudged on towards Golden Oaks Library. Once inside she set the behemoth boombox down and threw the CD and headphones on top of it. She needed a power source. It was rare that she used electricity instead of magic to power things, so naturally her home was furnished with sparse amounts of outlets. She peered under furniture and scoured the bottoms of walls.

Finally! She jammed the power cord into the outlet and slid the CD into the dock. This better not have been some stupid joke...

The button clicked as she pressed it in. Instantly the sound spilled forth from the speakers. She was taken aback by the purity of the sound. _Alright, this might not be so bad..._she told herself. The bass heavy song flowed into the room like an empty vessel filling with life. Twilight lay on the floor. Might as well be comfortable.

After ten minutes or so she rested with her eyes closed, genuinely enjoying herself. The beautiful blend of the instruments and the singers voice possessed a somewhat mesmerizing effect.

_ I must keep reminding myself of this..._

_ I must keep reminding myself of this..._

_ I must keep reminding myself of this..._

_ I must keep reminding myself of this..._

A peculiar feeling crept through her body. As if she could almost feel the past tugging gently at her. Like a child trying to grab her attention. The next couple tracks demanded her focus. The music picked at her ear. But it felt somehow necessary. The lyrics were choppy and disjointed, yet they danced whimsically in a frittering loop.

_ I know the pieces fit, 'cause I watched them fall away_

_ Mildewed and smoldering..._

She gave up on trying to interpret the meanings and just lay still, letting the melodies flow into her. All the tendrils of notes and nuances washed over her, allowing her to feel the emotion behind the music. Nothing could describe the sheer beauty of the singer's voice as he intricately sung the holy gift of having a soul. His words were a haunting warble that touched Twilight deeper than she could explain.

_So familiar and overwhelmingly warm_

_ This one, this form I hold now..._

_ This body holding me_

_ Reminding me that I am not alone and_

_ This body makes me feel_

_ Eternal, all this pain is an illusion..._

She had to keep going. The spirit of inspiration lit her mind's path to ideas she never thought possible. Everything was possible. Limitations were an illusion of consciousness. She felt the need to create, to build and inspire and bring beauty to the world. The power to offer so much more was lingering right at her hooftips.

_We ride the spiral to the end_

_ It may just go where no one's been..._

The purple mare listened to the last several tracks, completely at peace with her inner being. In time she came to the realization that she was not simply a storehouse of information she retained, but a conduit through which all living things could draw from. Her body was a portal to which knowledge could be attained.

_And we will come to find_

_ That we are all one mind..._

_ So let the light touch you_

_ Let the words spill through..._

When Twilight opened her eyes, everything had changed. Gone was the familiar old library with it's familiar old colors. She looked down at herself. She could feel the spiraling pools of chakras snaking up and throughout her core – on a central route out through her mind. Multitudes of energy ran inside her. Not only did she see with her eyes, but with her whole body. Every muscle, every blood cell within her was alive and held significance. Knowledge and power coursed through her body, racing along her nervous system and emptying into her widened third eye. When she spoke, the words rippled and wavered as their effects branched out to others, creating new paths to experience in life. The mare looked up. Above her head was a brilliant umbrella-like web of chakra. It spewed up and out like a fountain, connecting every living creature. Every soul was interconnected. Every creature mattered to the life of the others. A net of being made from pure life force.

She blinked and felt her place in the world. She gazed past the boundaries of her imagination, dipping into the unfathomable. Her kundalini of energy spiraled up and and into the umbrella of consciousness. Though her physical body held limitations, everything was capable outside the lines of reason. There existed no past or future, only one existence with infinite singularities. She was here. She was alive. She was eternal.

_Watch the weather change..._


End file.
